|
 The new federal advisory committee is part of USDA’s efforts to
support urban agriculture, creating a network for feedback.
Members were announced last month, and include agricultural
producers, and representatives from the areas of higher
education or extension programs, non-profits, business and
economic development, supply chains and financing.
About the Meeting
USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production is
coordinating the meeting, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
ET on March 23 and 24, 2022. To attend, register by March 18,
2022.
At the meeting, committee members will discuss administrative
matters and consult on the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture’s Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Urban,
Indoor and Emerging Agriculture grants.
Members of the public who wish to submit comments or questions
related to urban agriculture may submit them via
www.regulations.gov.
Comments must be submitted by March 18, 2022.
For special accommodations, please contact Leslie Glover at
(602) 395-9536 or
UrbanAgricultureFederal
AdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov.
Additional details are available in the Federal Register notice
and online at farmers.gov/urban or on the committee’s webpage.
USDA and Urban Agriculture
The Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and
Innovative Production is part of a broad USDA investment in
urban agriculture.
Other efforts include:
-
Grants that target
areas of food access, education, business and start-up costs
for new farmers, and policy development related to zoning
and other urban production needs.
-
Cooperative
agreements that develop and test strategies for planning and
implementing municipal compost plans and food waste
reduction plans.
-
Investing $260,000
for risk management training and crop insurance education
for historically underserved and urban producers through
partnerships between USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) and
the University of Maryland, University of Connecticut, and
Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.
[to top of second column] |
-
Providing technical and
financial assistance through conservation programs offered by
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
-
Organizing 11 Farm
Service Agency (FSA) urban and suburban county committees. FSA
will organize additional committees.
The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production was
established through the 2018 Farm Bill. It is led by NRCS and
works in partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support
urban agriculture. Its mission is to encourage and promote
urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices,
including community composting and food waste reduction.
More information is available at farmers.gov/urban
and the new Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and
Innovative Production website at
www.usda.gov/partnerships
/advisory-committee-urban-ag-innovative-production.
Additional resources that may be of interest to urban agriculture
entities include grants from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing
Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture as well
as FSA loans.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive
ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming
America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local
and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers,
ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all
communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers
and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices,
making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy
capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the
Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce
more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
[Illinois Farm Service Agency]
 |
